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SOCIAL 



ADVANCEMENT 



BY 



W. B. SCOTT 



S4- 




KE W YORK 



1870. 



JOHN SARELL, PRINTER, 72 BROADWAY. 



DOES SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT DEPEND UPON 
POLITICAL OR GA N1ZA TIONS f 

'Man's wants and affections are always greater than, 
in his individual capacity, he is able to satisfy. This 
incapacity of the individual to supply his own wants 
renders it necessary for him to associate, and emplcy 
the aid of others, in order to procure satisfaction for 
his numerous wants and desires : hence association — 
society. But, in order to procure the aid of others, 
he finds it necessary to return to them a satisfactory 
equivalent for the service rendered him. When he 
applies his efforts without serving a want, he fails to 
realize a remuneration of service in exchange : so 
with his capital, if he provides what no one wants, 
his capital is lost : through self-interest, therefore, he 
will voluntarily appropriate his capital and services 
in supplying the most urgent and numerous wants, so 
so far as his intellect will enable him to discover them, 
in order to realize the largest remuneration ; and only 
force or fraud can change this direction. 

All honest efforts, whether individual or combined, 
will thus be directed, voluntarily, in supplying the 
most urgent and numerous wants of society, and pro- 
moting social advancement : therefore any political 
organization that will arbitrarily pervert honest 
efforts and their accumulations from the direction 
they will take, voluntarily, must inevitably retard 
social advancement. 

All Government organizations that exercise arbit- 
rary power over honest efforts and their accumula- 
tions, and assume control over the person and prop- 
erty of others, divert services and capital from more 
useful employments to others less useful, because 



they transfer themselves, voluntarily, from the less 
useful to the more useful, through the influence of 
the larger reward for services thus rendered. 

Among the wants to be supplied, voluntarily, I 
include security of persons and property against vio- 
lence. Society will, voluntarily, remunerate for 
services rendered in furnishing protection against 
violence ; but when we give power to those who are 
to protect us, to compel us to pay, whether they per- 
form the services required or not, we depart from the 
true means as effectually as a manufacturer would 
who should give power to his employees to compel 
him to pay them wages whether the services required 
were performed or not. 

In the sciences and arts, invention and literature, 
individual genius and effort have always done more 
to draw the inferior towards the superior, in all that 
advances our social and material condition than has 
ever been done by any Governmental organization 
whatever. When an individual discovers a new ma- 
chine by which a superior fabric at the same cost 
can be produced, the inferior must give place to the 
srperior. When an improved means of conveyance 
is discovered, the inferior must yield to the supe- 
rior. Thus competition, free and unfettered by 
monopolies and subsidies, always elevates the supe- 
rior, and urges on general improvement and progress 
ny the most efficient means. 

All subsidies, whether to steam lines, railroads, man- 
ufacturing establishments, school systems, religious 
organizations, or political parties, only retard social 
advancement ; because all sums thus transferred are 
taken from more profitable, because more usful occu- 
pations, in order to sustain others less profitable, be- 
cause less useful. Subsidies to steam lines, railroads, 
muanufacturing establishments, and religious organi- 
zations, are now almost universally condemned. 
But subsidies to school systems and political organi- 
zations arc still among the superstitions of the age. 



By subsidizing a school system., and the appointment 
of political partisans to its management, the com- 
petition of superior means of education, conducted 
by others more competent, is prevented i besides, as 
all taxes lessen the reward of efforts to the extent of 
the sum taken, not one cent of which can be re- 
gained, except by performing another service of 
equal value, therefore, the very class intended to be 
benefited are injured to an extent greater than the 
advantages realized. 

The self-interest of the teacher is not brought into 
requistion so as to induce him to search for the atten- 
dance of every scholar in his district, as would be the 
case without subsidies and under free competiton. 

When this Government was organized, it rejected 
the idea of subsidizing a church party. And fortu- 
nate would it have been for the American people if it 
had rejected the idea of subsidizing a political party 
also ; but this I trust will be the next great stride in 
-social advancement. 

A party in power requires subsidies from all — 
from those who dissent, as well as from those who 
consent — a sum sufficient to enable it to maintain a 
physical force adequate to suppress all efforts of those 
who endeavor to disenthrall themselves from its 
arbitrary power. Perhaps the party in power might 
wish to build a wall around the United States, in 
order to protect home industry against foreign com- 
petition. It claims the right to draw subsidies, in 
order to carry out its schemes, from those who dissent, 
as well as those who consent. But the power thus 
claimed is usurped ; it is not by consent, and, in prin- 
ciple, is no more justifible than that assumed by a 
horde of bandits on the highway, who assume that 
their victims consent to surrender their purses when 
compelled to do so by superior physical force. 

No true title to property can be acquired except by 
production, by an exchange of property for property, 
service for service, by consent. If not obtained by 



voluntary contract and by consent, it must be ob- 
tained either but by assumption, by usurpation, or Dy 
fraud, and the holder, whether a Government or an 
individual, of property thus obtained can have no 
clear and valid title to it. 

When none can acquire property except by pro- 
duction, o-r an exchange ot service for service by 
consent, then, and then only, will a true and equitable 
distribution of property be made ; then, he who will 
furnish most that is useful to the community will real- 
ize most in exchange ; while he who fails to perform a 
useful service will fail thus to realize ; and he who 
has acquired property, but no longer furnishes ser- 
vices to the community, will, through his necessities, 
be obliged to distribute from what he has, to those 
whose services will supply his wants. 

We rely upon our police to protect our property 
against violence ; but, when our property is stolen, 
we offer a reward or bribe for its restoration. When 
robberies take place, the police get rewards ; when 
no robberies take place, they get no rewards : it is 
for their interest, therefore, that robberies should 
take place, in order that they may get rewards. But 
if the organization were a voluntary association, 
securing pay only when fulfilling the duties assigned 
them — or, like an express company, which guarantees 
the safety of packages intrusted to its care, — then, 
when we pay, it would become the interest of that 
organization to see that no property was stolen : for, 
if stolen, they must either restore it or its equivalent, 
or lose their occupation. Which system would 
afford the greater security, — the one the interest of 
which would be to protect, or the one the interest of 
which would be that our property should be stolen? 

In applying the voluntary system, as affording the 
means of protection against invasion by a foreign 
enemy, its efficiency is equally clear. 

When all forms of taxation shall be removed, and 
the exchange of commodities unshackled, then the 



commerce of our nation will multiply tenfold at least 
Ten times as many ships will be required, ten times 
as many ship-yards, ten times as much material and 
machinery in hand suitable for their construction, and 
ten times as many men in employ capable of con- 
structing them, as we now have ; consequently, we, 
shall then have ten times the ability to produce, in 
case of need, such vessels as may be required in 
order to resist any attempt at invasion that might be 
made by a foreign enemy. No foreign enemy, how- 
ever, would attempt an invasion, unless it intended 
to exact tribute from us. But the exaction of tribute, 
not permitted by our citizens to our own Govern- 
ment, would not be submitted to if exacted by a 
foreign enemy ; and against such a usurpation of 
power, the interest and hearty co-operation of every 
citizen would be enlisted to resist. 

In order to aid such advancement, individual and 
associated efforts build wharves and warehouses, 
ships *-.nd steamers, and send them over the globe, to 
convey what others desire in exchange for what our 
own people want. This is done voluntarily. But, 
when those things arrive to supply the tvants of the 
community, agents of political organizations stand 
prepared, with armed force, and demand half the 
value of the things brought, before permission will 
be granted to deliver them. Voluntary efforts supply 
the wants. Political organizations, by thus increas- 
ing prices, diminish the supply to those who furnish 
the purchasing power, and apply the half which they 
thus seize to the very purpose of maintaining a 
physical force that shall enable them to perpetuate 
the power thus usurped. 

What we want is freedom and justice, — that is, 
freedom to do all that we will, provided that we 
neither trespass, nor induce a trespass, upon the free- 
dom of any other person; and u justice is a science 
to be learned, not an arbitrary rule to be made." 
"The nature of justice can no more be altered by 



legislation than the nature of numbers can be altered 
by the same means." Justice is the only sovereign, 
and freedom the only criterion of Justice : her laws 
are as immutable as the law of gravitation, and all 

acts of legislative bodies that pretend to authorize a 

violation of freedom are usurpation. 

The only acts of a legislative body that are at al^ 
justifiable are those designed to establish rules for the 
preservation of freedom : but, even for this object, 
legislation is useless ; for the members of each trade 
and occupation can, for themselves, establish better 
rules and regulations than can be established for 
them by legislative bodies. 

The greatest happiness of the greatest number re- 
quires absolute freedom for all, — not the rule of a 
majority only. The whole is greater than a part, 
and any system that attempts to suppress universal 
diversity diminishes the happiness of a part ; and, 
consequently, the greatest happiness of the greatest 
number cannot be attained without freedom for all. 

Nearly all wars, whether religious or political, have 
their origin in the exaction of uniformity. An at 
tempt to force a uniform faith in religion produces 
dissent, rebellion, wars. An attempt to force uniform 
political dogmas produces dissent, rebellion, wars. 
The conclusion at which I arrive is, that the highest 
degree of social advancement can only be attained 
when every one is free to do all that he wills, pro- 
vided that he tresspasses not upon tne freedom of any 
other person, and that the best means of securing this 
freedom is to allow all honest efforts, freely and vol- 
untarily, to organize and compete for the best means, 
and the superior will inevitably supersede the inferior. 

By this means honest efforts will secure dominion 
over force and fraud, thereby reversing the existing 
order, which gives to force and fraud dominion over 

honest efforts. 



MOW TO ADJUST AND CANCEL THE NATIONAL 

DEBT. 

As stated by Special Commissioner David A. Wells, 
in his late report, the estimated value of property in 
the United States, including the national obligations 
here assumed as such, is about 25,000 million dol- 
lars ; one-tenth of this sum is 2,500 million dol- 
lars — about the sum of the present national indebt- 
edness. An assessment, therefore, of one-tenth on 
existing propertv, including the national debt, made 
payable in any of the obligations of the Government, 
would, when paid, adjust and cancel this debt. For 
the one-tenth assessment, when paid, the Government 
shall issue scrip entitling the holder to any of the 
public lands of the United States, not yet disposed of, 
at the rate of $2.50 per acre, which will transfer to 
existing property holders, 1000 million acres of land 
now held by trie Government ; by this means can- 
celling the whole of the Government debt, and saving 
the cost of maintaining an army of officials, and the 
evils of revenue interference for all future time. 

The Government, when disposing of the lands as 
suggested, may reserve the light of way for railroads 
and other means of facilitating communication ; but 
all land grants and other subsidies should cease, and 
the price for all public lands, sold by the Government 
in the future, should be fixed at $2.50 per acre, the 
proceeds of which should be irrevocably appropriated 
to the purchase and cancellation of the scrip that may 
be issued as suggested. 

The effect of this adjustment upon existing pro- 
perty holders and individual interests of the country, 
will be seen by the following illustration : 

Supposing A to be a holder ot property worth, say, 
$10,000, furnishing an income of six per cent, per 
annum, or $600: less present tax on the value o( 



8 

the property, say one per cent., $100 ; leaves 
net income, $500. By deducting the assessment 
of one-tenth, it will leave A, property, $9,000; 
giving an income, untaxed, at six per cent*, 
$540. But, after the payment of the national debt 
and removal of all duties and all taxes, the purchas- 
ing power of $540 income, will be much greater than 
$500 now has, with duties and taxes as existing. 
Thus the available means of existing property holders 
will be increased, besides placing at their control 
lands that will increase in value, and command a 
profit over their cost. These lands will be anxiously 
sought when we can say to the industrial classes of 
the world : u come and occupy our lands, and be free 
from taxes, as imposed elsewhere !" and to the capit- 
alists of the w T orld : " bring your capital here, and be 
free from taxes to which you are subject elsewmere I" 
and to the mercantile interests of the world: " make 
us the depot and mart of merchandise of the world 
and not be subject to taxes and duties as in other 
nations !" When this condition ot affairs shall be 
established, a state of prosperity will exist such as no 
nation has ever yet attained. 

Standing, as this Republic does, between Europe 
and Asia, with conditions as intimated, and with the 
grand result of having disposed of the nation's liabili- 
ties of vast magnitude within a period of less than 
three years, the glory of the achievement will excel 
that of enfranchising four millions of slaves by a stroke 
of the pen. 

Difficulties and details are to be considered, but 
the result can be accomplished, and it can be made the 
interest of the holders of the nation's liabilities, both 
in this country and in Europe, to surrender them. 



i!SSA RY 0F CONGRESS 



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Hollinger 

pH 8.5 

Mill Run FM719 



